Priests -- Brothers In One Household

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PRIESTS – BROTHERS IN ONE HOUSEHOLD
by Fr. Eugene Tiffany – St. Olaf Church, Minneapolis
7/24/05

We would generally agree that families grow well and come to a fullness of mature love and a deepening sense of Gospel purpose when there is a clearly defined center of common life that remains in place. Sons and daughters are well sheltered and well instructed when parents love one another and never vie for the affection of their children at the expense of each other and at the expense of content of the center of the inner life of the family.

The reverence and respect and authentic affection shared by husband and wife are the very grace that allows them to fill the lives of their children with food that sustains and grows those given to their care. The unwillingness of husband and wife to surrender the foundational elements that have always held together their marriage and the spiritual and emotional welfare of their household . . . all of this is the “stuff” which gives purpose and hope to all who share the inner life of the family.

Fathers and mothers best lead sons and daughters when they have a deeply held commitment to each other in their marriage as husband and wife. Sons and daughters can hang on for dear life knowing that parents indeed love each other and are fully prepared to live sacrificially and to love with unrelenting passion for the sake of the safety and integrity of the household.

Clearly the analogy cannot be offered as a perfect parallel to the relationship of priests and to those placed in their care, but there are specific points of reference that invite our attention.

continued

 

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PRIESTS – BROTHERS IN ONE HOUSEHOLD (continued)

If priests’ respect for each other is to be more than a passing sentiment, if our brotherly love is to be more than polite public acknowledgement, then there must be a measure of courage that allows us, even requires us, to be accountable as brothers to something beyond ourselves and beyond the particular parish that has been entrusted to our care. Our priestly service is in the name of Jesus Christ and His beloved Church. He is the absolute center and the inner life of all that is holy and all that is yet to be made holy. We are disciples of the one in whose Priesthood we are privileged to share; we are stewards of the sacred. We are not private contractors who are given the freedom to make significant adjustments in the faith posture of the Catholic Church to better accommodate the needs of “my parish.” Creating our own options, softening the moral tradition of the Church, citing that which is significantly unique about “my parish” in contrast another distinctive parish community can be a divisive way of vying for the affection and acceptance of sons and daughters in the same household of faith, creating significant confusion within the Body of Christ.

Enduring respect for those with whom we share this honor of ordained priestly ministry and sacrificial love in priestly ministry must have an absolute center. There are essential pieces of the inner life of the Church that can never be set aside to accommodate a make-believe display of oneness. Examining and engaging the issues is critical, giving clarity to what we believe and what we teach. Restoring trust and offering healing to a Church that has been publicly pained is a ministry that extends beyond the scandal of sexual abuse. When does “pastoral approach” become the back door through which pastoral practice makes its exit from the more public teaching posture of the Church, leaving a community of faith in a place of uncertainty and growing disillusionment? The Church we serve as priests and the people we embrace in the name of Jesus have a right to be nourished with the food of life-giving comfort. That food of comfort is most evident when our preaching, teaching, sacramental prayer, and pastoral practice challenge priests themselves to be conformed to the image of Jesus Christ.

Our ability to be authentically one in mind and heart demands that we not be afraid of each other or those issues that pain and divide us. If the truth gives freedom, then we are never free to decide that suffering for the sake of the Gospel of Jesus Christ is not worth the effort. We cannot be dismissive of the Gospel, nor can we be arrogantly dismissive of the power of our Catholic Tradition without forfeiting our right to serve the Church. Priests cannot afford to be dismissive of each other if we ask those we serve to claim each other in the community of faith.

There is too much at stake! The very lives of those who draw close to the Church desire to enter into and become one with the inner life of Jesus Christ. The people we serve have a right to expect that we are willing to suffer with each other and all our brothers and sisters for the sake of defining the boundaries within which we and the members of the household are always safe and always fed with the substantial bread of conversion and the Eucharistic Life of Christ.

 

[Deacon_Tony560]

There have been discussions about if the priest shortage becomes more critical that priests will live in community and go out to say Mass and administer the Sacraments to various parishes run by parish administrators. They would then be like Order priests, who have a support system and regular prayer time.

Deacon Tony